A never ending feeling of anticipation coursed through me as I waited outside the doors of the Verizon center, waiting for them to open. A group of girls giggled and took pictures in front of a bus, with three middle aged rock stars painted onto the side, perfect for Kodak moments. I looked up at the sky, and was disappointed to see that it was cloudy and starting to rain. While the concert was indoors, and therefore wouldn’t be affected by the rain, it was still nice to have perfect weather on days like these.
Finally, the doors opened, and everyone was pushing ahead to get the best view of the stage, and all the pyrotechnic-fueled action that would ensue in a little under two hours, courtesy of Green Day. I got through the mob of rushing people, and kept myself even from bolting down the stairs in the vain hope of getting to the front immediately. By the time I’d arrived, an impenetrable swarm of people were already keeping me from getting to the bar. The only thing I gained from trying to push through was a dirty look and an even dirtier word.
The waiting for the band was unbearable… to say the least. People found entertainment in texting the Verizon Center and seeing their texts up on the screen, which I indulged in as well, but couldn’t really see the enormous amusement from it, so I just stood around feeling bored.
Eventually, the supporting band came on: The Kaiser Chiefs. The energy from them was quite apparent, and fun, but the only thing I really found myself singing along with was “Rubyrubyrubyrubaaayy!” Other than that… It was only filler to Green Day, the real reason I was there.
After Kaiser Chiefs went through their half hour set… which felt way too long, a drunken bunny came onto the stage. To a Green Day fan, that normally signifies the beginning of a great show. The members of the band filed onto the stage, with their respective instruments, and then the small-statured lead singer came on, with a spring in his step already, grinning from ear to ear. He got the crowd revved up with a long shout of “HEeeeeeeyyy ohhh!” After that, the audience was his to control, and he let us go wild.
Green Day blew through their set, a collection of songs they’d collected from their two decade career, and it was awesome. The impenetrable barrier of people that had formed before the band took the stage had grown weaker, and I was able to push myself up to the front, where people were going insane. I sang along to every song the band played, word for word, and to quote the band themselves, I was having “the time of my life.” The singer decided that some older songs were exactly what the crowd deserved, and we were all ecstatic to hear a song from their lesser known second album.
Finally, Green Day began to play a signature song of theirs, known as Longview, and the singer walked over the stage, asking if anyone could sing that song. I had fought my way to the very front of the audience, and I was smashing elbows with a guy next to me, both of us fighting for the attention of the singer to get on the stage. Unfortunately, he had ran to the other side and brought an older man onstage to sing. The disappointment hit me, but I never really thought I was going to get onstage. After all, there were hundreds of people there; the odds were very much stacked against me. The man that the lead singer had called up was pretty good, and was fun to watch. To my surprise, the lead singer excused the man from his vocal duties after he sang about half the song, and asked if anyone else was able to sing that song. As soon as he said that, I suddenly threw myself over the bar keeping me from the stage, and screamed that I knew the words. The singer walked about, looking through my section of the audience, and finally his eyes went over me.
“How about this kid?!” He yelled, as my heart suddenly stopped. “Can you sing this song?”
“YESSSSSSSS!!!!!” I desperately screamed.
“Swear to God?” I felt like he was teasing me.
“YESS YESS YESS YESSSSSS!!!” I yelled with everything I could.
“Alright, get your ass onstage.” The finest sentence I’ve ever heard.
I scrambled over the bar, and climbed onto the stage, turned, and almost fell backward. It’s more intimidating standing in front of over 6,000 people than you’d think it would be. The singer walked over to me, and the first thing I thought was, “Oh my God, he is short.” I still hugged him, and kissed him on the cheek. It’s nice to meet your heroes.
He handed me the microphone, fed me the first line, which was nice of him, since I forgot the lyrics in my shocked state of mind, and I started to sing. I was worried my voice would crack right there, and the entire 6,000 person sized audience, as well as the band themselves would laugh at me. Luckily, God decided to not let me embarrass myself, and granted me with a voice for my moment on the stage. I ran around the stage in the same manner I witnessed the singer do so, and when the final chorus of the song ended, the singer told me to climb on the stairs in front of the drummer, who then signaled me to jump down.
I jumped, and after what seemed like an eternity in the air, I landed, and the song ended as my feet slammed on the stage.
I walked around the stage more, taking in the sight of 6,000 people watching you.
“Kid, what’s your name?” The singer asked, and then gave me the mike.
“RORY CULLEN!!!” I yelled, and I’m sure some Twilight fans in the audience did a double take.
“Rory Cullen?” The singer said, “Well Rory, you’re going to have to do a stage dive!”
I was more than happy to oblige his request, and he gave me a confidence boost by chanting my name into the microphone, therefore getting the rest of the audience to as well. I took off my glasses and held onto them quickly, as I sprinted off the stage, and found myself being held aloft by my fellow concert goers. It was one of those moments in your life where you feel like you’ll never be happier.
And I loved it.
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